Making a difference

Kind Deeds – Week 1

Challenge 38 was to perform a kind deed at least once a week before being asked. They don’t have to be anything big just something unexpected that will make someone feel better, appreciated or happy.  After just one attempt I can tell you it’s not as easy as you’d think even though I was determined to get started straight away.

Week 1: The first week started with my Birthday on 5 August and I decided that was the perfect time for a random kind deed.  I was going out for a meal with family and friends and decided that the perfect thing to do after all the effort everyone had put in to making my birthday special was to pay for the meal.  Mambo Wine and Dine in South Shields has been one of my favourite places to go for a drink since it opened but I’d never had a meal there so wasn’t sure what to expect but I have to say the meal was fantastic.

Mambo cocktails

As I hadn’t told anyone I was planning on paying everyone happily ordered whatever they wanted with choices ranging from pasta and pizza to steak and lobster.  We also had a bottle of my favourite Prosecco as well as cocktails and other drinks so when the bill arrived I have to say I was a little nervous about what I had planned but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised (I think £25 a head including drinks was very reasonable).  So as everyone started to get out their money I told them to put it away as I was paying. From the reaction I got you would think I’d just said we should all run off without paying the bill at all.  It took me a good 10 minutes to persuade everyone that I should pay and they only agreed when in the end I suggested they all give the money they would have spent to the charity I will be supporting (to be announced in the next few days) so that will be a good start towards the £5,000 I want to raise.  Then when I was telling the waiter why I was paying on my Birthday he asked if they could help.  Of course I said yes and he came back a few minutes later with some vouchers to be used in the bar or restaurant for me to raffle for charity.  My first kind deed brought a smile to everyone’s face, raised money for charity and made meet feel very good.  The saying One Good Turn Deserves Another was never more appropriate.

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And so it began – 5 August 2015

Yesterday I promised that I would complete three challenges on the first day.  I thought it would be easy as there are some easy ones on the list but somehow the day took over and at 10 o’clock I’d only managed to complete one.  So I had my work cut out if I was going to make it – but in the end with a bit of help I managed to complete 3 challenges and start work on some of the others.

Send a book around the World.  I wanted to make sure the book had a fully year to make it as far as possible.  So which book?  Well that as the hard part.  I wanted something that lots of people might like to read but I couldn’t find anything that would fit the bill.  So in the end I chose four books so hopefully there’s something for everyone.  Then I had to write a note and decide where to leave them.

My chosen books and the note I left inside them

My chosen books and the note I left inside them

Finally I decided to donate them to a charity shop.  My note asked whoever bought the books to donate it to charity when they’ve finished and to let me know what they thought about the book, how much they paid for it (so it count’s in money I raise for charity) and where they have left it.

The books start their journey at the Children's Society

Books start their journey at the Children’s Society

Although this completes my first challenge I’ve decided to keep it going so will donate every book I read this year to a different charity shop with the same note and see how many get picked up.

Write a Will: By 10 o’clock and with only one challenge complete I was beginning to worry about saying I would manage 3 in one day.  I’d planned to send a message in a bottle but it’s not as easy as it sounds but we’ll get to that when I finally do it.  So with not much of the day left I decided to write my Will.  I’ve thought about doing it for years but never got round to it and although I know you can get Will w

riting kits I’m not sure where I would have got one at 10 o’clock at night when I’d had a drink.  And then I remembered as a member of UNISON I can have my Will drafted for my by Thomson’s Solicitors at no charge.  So 5 minutes later I found the website and set about writing my Will and that’s it done.  However having drank best part of a bottle of Prosecco and a couple of Hot Shot Mojito’s at Mambo’s Wine and Dine I’m not sure how pleased people will be with the results but I think I got it right.

Hot Shot Mojito with the wonderful Joanne Weightman

Hot Shot Mojito time with the wonderful Joanne Weightman

Become an organ donor. My eldest son, Danny, tells me I can’t be an organ donor until I’ve actually given someone another part of my body but I don’t agree.  Becoming an organ donor is about committing to giving your organs to someone when you die.  So with about 10 minutes left I went on line to see if I could register that way and yes you can.  So I am now officially an organ donor though my card won’t arrive for a few days.  it’s so easy to do, all you have to do is click here, I don’t know why I didn’t do it earlier.

I know I started with easy challenges but just one day in and it’s three down and 47 to go and if you want to know more about what they are click on the links below

I always wanted to

I’d be crazy to

Making a difference

Categories: I always wanted to, Making a difference | Tags: | 1 Comment

Love, Laugh and Live Life

Today’s the day!  It’s time to stop making plans and start living life.  I’ve chosen my 5iftyby5ifty and by the end of today I will have completed not 1, not 2 but at least 3 things on the list. So check out the full list here and see if you can guess what I’ve got planned for today.

£5,000 up for grabs!! Not all today but I still need a charity to raise money for over the next year.  I need ideas for something local, something that will really make a difference or something that struggles for support.  So please let me have your thoughts.

Motto for the day: Love who you’re with (friends, family, work colleagues, anyone really), Laugh at least 8 times today (go on you know you want to) and Live Life to the full

Categories: I always wanted to, I'd be crazy to, Making a difference | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

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